This is something that feels authentically modern, so when you see the “built-in, crew-length compression sock,” on the KD8 “Elite” remember new almost always means polarizing. Often, that can mean some backlash because original can also appear silly or odd. That’s just the nature of new.
But Nike’s KD8 Elite series with the aforementioned sock, “visible Zoom Air cushioning and Flywire technology with a Kevlar ® aramid fiber” is the latest brainstorm from Nike’s basketball head honcho, Leo Chang.
We’re guessing the aramid fiber acts as a bulwark to support the purposefully light Flywire nylon, so there’s a minimum of bell-and-whistle weight, but the upper still locks the forefoot and ankle in place when you’re making a cut, or landing awkwardly on a rebound. The big difference for consumers will be how it’ll be a high-top rather than the mid- and low-cuts in the Nike KD line since the V came out in the 2012-13 season.
“Transitioning from a low to high is a decision we made with confidence based on our ongoing feedback from Durant to always push the limit on innovative design,” says Chang. “The KD8 Elite is conceptually designed to blur the lines between the shoe, sock and tight; seamlessly transitioning between each so you can’t differentiate where one begins and the other ends.”
We chatted with Leo in Toronto, and we’ll be sharing that mind-expanding conversation later in the week. But for now, keep an open mind. We actually (somewhat sheepishly) like the Kobe 9 Elite, but we also have weak-as-hell ankles, and don’t really care about the wrestling aesthetic that turned some critics off.
The smooth integration of the sock and upper feels like another step in the evolution of sneakers. For that, and for revealing it during a massive moment in Kevin Durant’s career, the Nike team has to be applauded.
